Creamy Mussel and Saffron Soup
Perfect for a starter or as a light meal, this creamy fragrant soup made with mussels cooked in white wine and saffron comes with a vegetable garnish and crunchy fennel seed breadcrumbs.
Equipment
- large pot with lid
- strainer/Colander
- food processor and stick blender
- small pan
Ingredients
for the mussels
- 2 kilogram mussels unopened
- 2 shallots peeled and sliced
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 2 bay leaf
- 300 millilitre white wine
- 500 millilitre chicken stock
- 15 gram butter
for the soup
- 1 large potato peeled
- 1 medium fennel
- 1 leek
- 1 medium brown onion peeled
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- ¼ teaspoon saffron threads
- 250 millilitre cooking cream
- 20 gram butter
- ½ lemon
- salt and pepper
for the fennel breadcrumbs
- 2 slices white toast bread
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon chopped fennel fronds
- ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
Instructions
for the mussels
- Use a kitchen towel to remove the beard (the hairy part sticking out on the side of the mussel). Rinse under cold water and strain for 5 minutes.
- Put a large pot on medium heat and add the butter. When the butter has melted add the shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Add the mussels and increase the heat to high. Then add the thyme sprig, bay leaves, white wine and chicken stock and toss once more.
- Cover with a lid and cook until the mussels have opened, about 5-8 minutes. If any mussels don't open, throw them away.
- Strain the broth and keep the mussels in the fridge to chill.
for the soup
- Cut the potato in half and then into thin slices. Cut the white part of the leek in half lengthwise and slice thinly. Remove the green fonds of the fennel and set aside. Remove the outer part of the fennel and slice thinly. Keep the core aside. Slice half of the onion and the garlic cloves into thin slices.
- In a large pot on high heat, sear the vegetables with half of the butter. Sear for about 4-5 minutes without giving colour to the vegetables. Add the saffron threads and deglaze with the mussel stock.
- Add cream and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer covered with a lid for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
- Meanwhile pick the cooked mussels from their shells keeping a few in their shell for decoration. Keep refrigerated until needed. Mix the soup with a stick blender or smoothie blender until creamy and smooth.
for the fennel breadcrumbs
- Remove the rind from toast bread and mix in a food processor until small crumbs form. In a pan on low heat combine the fennel seeds with the crumbs, tossing occasionally until well toasted. Add sea salt and chopped fennel fronds and toss a few more times. Set aside until needed.
for the garnish
- Cut the remaining vegetables into small cubes and stew them in a pan until they became translucent and soft for about 8-10 minutes. Just season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Before serving heat up the vegetables and mussels in the soup and finish with chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.
- Sprinkle the soup with the fennel breadcrumbs.
Notes
Mussels release the ocean water trapped in their shells when cooked making the broth quite salty. Be careful when seasoning the soup as it might become salty easily.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Creamy Mussel and Saffron Soup
Amount Per Serving (150 g)
Calories 603
Calories from Fat 270
% Daily Value*
Fat 30g46%
Cholesterol 144mg48%
Sodium 866mg38%
Carbohydrates 51g17%
Fiber 6g25%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 33g66%
Vitamin A 1730IU35%
Vitamin C 56mg68%
Calcium 217mg22%
Iron 11mg61%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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